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By Newnan Times Herald

POSTED:August 27, 2013 11:00 a.m.

Congress has perfected the art of doing nothing.The 400-plus members are quite busy, but being busy and actually accomplishing something are not the same. There are constant committee meetings “investigating” the latest shenanigans, whether it be the IRS, Benghazi, drone strikes, NSA surveillance, or fill in the blank.Then there is Obamacare, a bill no human in the country really understands. Maybe we should backtrack. Obamacare did pass. Everyone in Washington patted themselves on the back because they did something — or not.Republicans have tried to veto the healthcare bill roughly 40 times. Obamacare is so convoluted, even the Obama administration has missed its own deadlines on the health care overhaul debacle, time after time.Politically speaking, this is known as gridlock. Think Atlanta traffic at its worse. Engines idle and revving while horns are honking, but no one is getting anywhere. Tempers flare and we point fingers. Representatives blame arcane rules of the Senate. Senators blame the Obama administration. The White House blames Republicans.Congress has perfected the art of doing nothing. And we, as a country, are the ones who lose.During a recent Town Hall meeting in Newnan, Rep. Lynn Westmoreland representing Coweta County pointed out that gridlock can be a good thing. “In what we’re dealing with right now, the best offense is a good defense,” he said. “It’s like a game of football. If the other team can’t touch the ball, they can’t score.”With all due respect, we’d like to point out gridlock also keeps good bills from passing.The congressman also told the audience if they wanted change, it was up to them. The public has done its job. The public elects senators and congressmen to represent us in Washington. Change in Washington, ending gridlock, is up to those elected.The public wants to throw out everyone in Washington — that is, except their own elected officials.America is a diverse nation, which is one of its strengths. But that diversity can cause gridlock unless elected officials stand up for what is best for the nation overall and not just parochial interests. Let’s face it, California has no concept of sweet tea and thinks grits are quaint, ethnic cuisine. Georgians have trouble understanding wine and cheese as a breakfast of champions.It is time, as has actually happened in the past, that a group of senators and congressmen join together regardless of party lines and say “enough.” It is time this group finds the compromises necessary to move this country forward. The goal of compromise is no one gets everything they want. No one is completely happy. At the same time, no one is completely left out. The constant ramrodding by one party or the other without regard to the interests of the other means nothing happens and nothing gets done.At some point, those in Washington are going to have to learn an old word once taught by parents — “share.”